President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass said during an interview on CNBC Monday that President Donald Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia was a success.
Trump visited Saudi Arabia to kick off his first foreign trip as president. He delivered a speech about the need for countries in the Middle East to stand up and fight extremism, and urged the Muslim world to drive terrorists 'out from this Earth.' Trump's speech was well received by the Saudi audience, particularly concerning the hard line Trump drew on Iran, according to Haas.
"The Saudis were determined to make this trip a success. And in some ways because he was not Barack Obama, he was a long way towards succeeding," Haass said. "Plus he came out with a very tough line on Iran which is exactly what they wanted to hear."
Saudi Arabia and Iran are currently involved in a proxy war in Yemen, where the Iranians support the Houthi rebels and the Saudis support the Sunni Arab coalition. Saudi Arabia was dismayed when then President Barack Obama struck a deal with Iran over their nuclear program, and the Saudi King refused Obama’s invitation to a regional summit meeting at Camp David because of the Iran deal.
"He wasn't basically saying you've got to change your politics, you've got to open up and so forth. So he didn't lecture them. He was tough on Iran and he wasn't Barack Obama. That made for a very successful trip," Haass added.